A year ago, identity was mostly the concern of privacy and crypto guys. The only company taking much public interest was Microsoft, which was busy scaring everybody with its Passport identity management system and the Hailstorm initiative that went along with . . .
A year ago, identity was mostly the concern of privacy and crypto guys. The only company taking much public interest was Microsoft, which was busy scaring everybody with its Passport identity management system and the Hailstorm initiative that went along with it. (Microsoft folks tell me they never meant to scare anybody. Privately they refer to Passport as "Piñata" because of all the bashing it takes.)

But over the next three quarters, identity became a big deal, certified by its own high-profile web site and tradeshow: Digital ID World (DIDW). The first DIDW took place in Denver in early October 2002. It was well-run and well-attended for a first effort by people who were, for the most part, new to the business. Those people included PingID.com, which is the commercial counterpart of PingID.org, an open-source effort.

When Don Marti got a look at advance promotion for DIDW, he called the speaker lineup "scary": a lot of big companies and associations (Microsoft and the Sun-led Liberty Alliance, for starters); a lot of small companies trying to sell stuff to big enterprise customers; and almost nobody representing individual interests (especially privacy). Except for me. And frankly, I had to push to get myself added to the speaker lineup, which I did through my position on the advisory board of PingID.

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